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Our faeries are decked out in their finest for this Faerie Friday! Check out some of our favorite selfies and snapshots over the years, from faeries young and old (and a few furry friends) alike!

Two of our Florida Renaissance Faire fairies compare outfits, with the Enchanted Wagon looking on. The outfits were designed by Star.

The seasonal and elemental fairies at the second year of the Miami Renaissance Faire pose with friends. Kelly is Lady Spring, Anima is the Summer Fairy, and Winter is represented by Jet. Costumes and wings were designed by Anima.

Last spring, our faeries made a stop for a tire change in Hope, Arkansas en route to the Poteet Strawbery Festival in Poteet, TX. While we were there, we were able to snap this great picture of former president Bill Clinton’s childhood home. Note the progression of images in the photo – a historical marker for the Trail of Tears in the foreground, followed by a sign proclaiming a Tea Party meeting, then Clinton’s childhood home, and finally, a train running on the train tracks, which the locals frequently joked that he lived “on the wrong side of”! Our faeries had quite a laugh at this microcosm of America all in one photograph!

We weren’t laughing for long, though, as we realized that four huge pairs of our faerie wings had been left by the side of the road there when we changed the tire! All of our faeries assumed another one of our troupe had packed them, and it wasn’t until we arrived in Poteet that we realized our mistake!

Our faeries called the Hempstead County Sheriff’s Department, but the sheriff told us that, unfortunately, there has been a big storm the night before and they most likely would have been blown away. He sent a deputy out to check, who found two pairs of them still by the side of the road! We were able to stop by and pick up the wayward wings on our way home, but just where the other two pairs flew off to is still a mystery – we must have forgotten they were enchanted and could fly off on their own! If you’re ever in the Hope, AK area, always keep your eyes to the sky – those missing glittering faerie wings could still be flying high up above you!

Our fairies are always looking toward the sky while we’re out on the road (in order to check the weather conditions for flying, of course!), which means we’ve gained an appreciation for beautiful and interesting cloud formations over the years. While we were in Cambridge, Minnesota last July performing at the Isanti County Fair, we managed to snap a few photos of a gorgeous lenticular cloud that had settled over the fairgrounds.

In sharing our photos with other performers and fair employees, we found out we weren’t the only ones with our eyes on the skies – photos of the massive cloud were even featured by the National Weather Service!

It may still be below freezing here at the Faerie Factory, but we’re already in preparation mode to head out on the road for our summer 2015 touring season! This Travel Tuesday, we’re throwing back to our 2013 season and taking a look back at one of our favorite finds on the road, courtesy of the Scotts Bluff County Fair!

We see a lot of fascinating fair memorabilia while we’re out on the road, but it’s rare that the exhibit comes right to our dressing room! Our fairies found these wonderful vintage posters stashed away in the corner of our break space between performances at the Scotts Bluff Fair, and we couldn’t resist snapping a few pictures. While we’re not sure on the exact dates of all of these appearances, we believe most of the posters date back to the 1930s and 1940s.

It’s Faerie Friday, which means it’s time for a faerie history lesson!

The name “fairy” encompasses all types of enchanted folk. It comes from the Latin “Fatare” and the old French “Feer,” meaning “to enchant”. While “fairy” and “fae” are often used to refer to the enchanted realm as a whole and its many races, the Victorians redefined our modern pop culture idea of fairies as female cherubs with wings.

Here are some different terms for fairies, with their pronunciations and native area. Click on the names for more information.

The term fairy is peculiar to the English language and to English folklore, reflecting the conflation of Germanic, Celtic and Romance folklore and legend since the Middle English period. However, many other magical races in the enchanted realm from folklore around the world are classed under the name “fairy” today. Here are some of the most well-known:

According to superstition, using a true name implies a threat, so faeries have also been referred to using other terms, such as: The Gentry, Themselves, They, Grey Neighbors, Merry Dancers, The Mother’s Blessing, Wee folk, Li’l fellas, Them that’s in, The Small People, White ladies, and Hillmans.

Happy Valentine’s Day from all of our faerie friends here at the Faerie Factory!

This Faerie Friday, we’ve prepared a very special faerie-themed playlist just for you! From classic renditions of fae folklore to whimsical stories of dragons and witches (and of course, that much-sought-after happily ever after!), these eighteen tracks celebrate our friends in the magical realm and their presence in modern pop culture. We’ve thrown in a little something for everyone’s tastes, from Enya to Peter Pan and Shakespeare to Black Sabbath, so whether you’re spending the day with a loved one or treating yourself to a box of chocolates, it’s sure to be the perfect soundtrack to turn your Valentine’s Day weekend into a fairytale come true!

Comments Off on Faerie Friday: Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo, It’s A Weekend Faerie Playlist For You!

We’re in a deep freeze here at the Faerie Factory! Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow earlier this week, which, according to legend, means another six weeks of winter is on its way. Our faeries are hard at work coming up with charms to counteract this forecast, but in the meantime, we’ve prepared some Buzzfeed-style fun to help you wait out the final stretch of winter and get excited for the start of our 2015 touring season.

Grab a handful of popcorn, get in line for the Ferris wheel, and click on the photo above to start the countdown of the top ten plants sure to get you in the spirit for outdoor fair and festival time!

It’s that time again – we’re back with all-new Faerie Fridays for 2015!

Our faeries have just returned from the Pennsylvania State Association of County Fairs convention and trade show, and in spite of all the cold and snow, we’re in full bloom to kick off our 2015 season! Since everyone knows faeries are the flower experts of the magical realm, we’ve prepared a special quiz in honor of the 2015 Pennsylvania fairs theme “Harvest the Fun.” You’ve heard of roses and daffodils – but how many of these unusual and funny plants can you name?

Click on the image above to test your flower knowledge against our faeries – see if you can tell your sneezeworts from your goosefeet, and be on the lookout for our baby dragon’s favorite plant (hint: it just might share his name)!

If you’re coming to us from the Rocky Mountain Association of Fairs annual convention – welcome! We’re thrilled to have met you out in Great Falls, Montana, and hope to keep in contact with you throughout the 2015 fair season!

We hope you’ve stopped by room 115 to learn more about our shows and try a handful of our top-secret-recipe faerie berries! Since you’re friends with our faeries now, we’ll let you in on the secret of how you can make some at home:

In a medium bowl, stir egg white or egg white mixture until blended but not whipped. Coat cranberries with this mixture. Spread the sugar out on a baking sheet, and roll the cranberries in it until they are coated. Dry at room temperature for 2 hours. Use as garnishes for desserts, or just eat them a handful at a time!

Be sure to share our top-secret faerie recipe with your friends, and if you have more questions about our shows, feel free to give us a call at (412) 242-8837 at any time!

We’re getting ready to head out to Seven Springs Autumnfest and the South Carolina State Fair here at the Faerie Factory, which means lots of tailoring, touch-ups, and tweaks to all our puppet friends. With all that work comes lots of play, too, and every once in a while something so funny happens we have to share it with you, like this puppet mishap that presents a theory for the age-old question of just how birds are related to dinosaurs.

Did we figure out the answer to evolution? See for yourself:

Happy Faerie Friday, and don’t forget to stop out and see us at the South Carolina State Fair this October 8-19, and every weekend this month at Seven Springs Autumnfest!